Ginevra (Ginny) Weasley: Character Analysis

[YellowRose]

Also, does nobody applaud Ginny to be at ease and OK with Harry having a few strong friendships with other females? Hermione above all (who he pratically lived with for 10 months for the duration of the DH), but also Luna?? Cho was very jealous of Hermione in OoTP though Hermione has done nothing more than be a very close friend to Harry. Cho, on the other hand had been the object of Harry's desire for a very long time, and even if she was going out with Michael Corner, was showing a returned interest to being alone with Harry again. For what ever reason Cho had, can you really be on Ginny's back about being jealous of Harry's ex-girlfriend and long time crush when she is perfectly fine with him having very meaningful relationships with other girls?

Ginny has never ever shown jealousy towards Hermione, only once annoyance at Hermione being a bit mean towards Harry in HBP. Look at all the hoo-har-har that Hermiones's closeness to Harry has caused in the fandom...which has totally flown over Ginny's head.

[Emperor_Gestahl]

Well she wasn't perfectly secure with Cho showing Harry to their Tower, I guess that deep down Ginny knows/thinks that she is a lot better looking then Hermoine.

[Yoana]

Well yes, but I've always had hard time finding any flaws in Ginny. She's perfect. The only thing that can be viewed as a weakness is her temper, and it's really meant to be a part of her charm, so there's not even that. That's what I find annoying and unconvincing about Ginny. She's just weak as a character, in my opinion, practically ready-made, you know what I mean?

[hermy_weasley2]

Originally Posted by Yoana

Well yes, but I've always had hard time finding any flaws in Ginny. She's perfect. The only thing that can be viewed as a weakness is her temper, and it's really meant to be a part of her charm, so there's not even that. That's what I find annoying and unconvincing about Ginny. She's just weak as a character, in my opinion, practically ready-made, you know what I mean?

I agree with you that her flaw is her temper, but it really is a flaw in earnest, in my opinion.I think that's where Harry's point of view comes in again. I don't like attributiing everything to that but we really do see everything through Harry-colored glasses. Anyway, Harry loves her and respects her partly because of her temper, so we get that charming, girl-power version of her temper. If we saw the thoughts of a charcter who didn't like her and thought about her negatively, we'd see the side of her temper that hurts people.

[Rell]

I don't think that Ginny is actually in the books enough to really flesh out her character. We see some growth in her - such as her maturity regarding relationships with boys, and her relationship with Luna. But she's just not present so much. I think that if Ginny were in Harry's year, then we'd see more.

[Yoana]

Originally Posted by hermy_weasley2

I agree with you that her flaw is her temper, but it really is a flaw in earnest, in my opinion.I think that's where Harry's point of view comes in again. I don't like attributiing everything to that but we really do see everything through Harry-colored glasses. Anyway, Harry loves her and respects her partly because of her temper, so we get that charming, girl-power version of her temper. If we saw the thoughts of a charcter who didn't like her and thought about her negatively, we'd see the side of her temper that hurts people.

I see, but... I have never been able to believe the character of Ginny. She's the only one in seven books that I find utterly unconvincing, and I've always felt that way. Just my personal experience.

[Padfoot_Prongs]

Originally Posted by YellowRose

Also, does nobody applaud Ginny to be at ease and OK with Harry having a few strong friendships with other females? Hermione above all (who he pratically lived with for 10 months for the duration of the DH), but also Luna?? Cho was very jealous of Hermione in OoTP though Hermione has done nothing more than be a very close friend to Harry. Cho, on the other hand had been the object of Harry's desire for a very long time, and even if she was going out with Michael Corner, was showing a returned interest to being alone with Harry again. For what ever reason Cho had, can you really be on Ginny's back about being jealous of Harry's ex-girlfriend and long time crush when she is perfectly fine with him having very meaningful relationships with other girls?

Ginny has never ever shown jealousy towards Hermione, only once annoyance at Hermione being a bit mean towards Harry in HBP. Look at all the hoo-har-har that Hermiones's closeness to Harry has caused in the fandom...which has totally flown over Ginny's head.

I think you make an excellent point. Ginny was strong, and it didn't bother her that he was close to many other girls. The only point in which she showed jealousy was when she asked Luna to take Harry to Ravenclaw Tower instead of Cho. And even then, her picking Luna showed that she thought there was nothing going on between them.

For Ginny to be okay with all of his relationships, especially with Hermione, really shows great strength in her character. I used to have an incredibly hard time dealing with my boyfriend's best friend (who was a girl) because I always thought there may be something more going on. The fact that Ginny exerted little jealousy tells me that she never really questioned his faithfulness--something I wish I could do in my life!

[the_legilimens]

In my opinion, Ginny's biggest flaw is that she can be very cruel sometimes. She reacts very harshly (which is also due to her temper), such as hexing Smith at the start of HBP, just because he wouldn't go away. Even though he was also in the wrong, I do not feel she should have hexed him. As well, she shows no remorse afterwards, just brushing the attack off.

However, I feel she was more cruel to Ron. As his sister she knows what would upset him and in the fight between them (when Ron and Harry interupt her and Dean) she taunts him about his feelings for Hermione and the fact that hasn't kissing anyone. She implies that he in this area he is inferior to Harry and Hermione, knowing that he is very insecure about this. She is also the first to draw her wand.

This all happened with little provacation from Ron. Even though he was the first to start shouting, her reaction was much crueler than his, IMO. He had a valid point- that a corridor was not the place for kissing and he didn't want to see it, and she not only built his argument up (saying he was interferring in her love life) but attacking him (verbally) much more harshly than he was her.

This I think is a real flaw in Ginny. IMO, it is linked with her temper (which I also see as a flaw) but I feel that the lack of remorse after she loses her temper shows this mean streak in her quite clearly.

[liquid_luck]

I think that, personality-wise, Ginny is a bit of a tomboy. She has grown up with 6 brothers, so until she started Hogwarts, she only really knew boys. Some of this shows through with her fierceness and strength. Ginny is a very complex character because as well as being tough, she understands other people very well. She could always calm Harry down when nobody else could and she seemed to listen to him over even people like her mother. Even though Hermione was older than her, I think she counted her as a great friend and somebody to confide in. Saying this, i think that at times she would get exasperated with Hermione and snap. In this respect, her friendship with Hermione is similar to that of Ron and Harry. I think out of all her brothers, Ginny was most influenced by Fred and George-she followed in their footsteps behaviour-wise and seemed to enjoy their company.

[Padfoot_Prongs]

Originally Posted by the_legilimens

This I think is a real flaw in Ginny. IMO, it is linked with her temper (which I also see as a flaw) but I feel that the lack of remorse after she loses her temper shows this mean streak in her quite clearly.

I think that Liquid_luck shows where her temper may come from by saying,

Originally Posted by liquid_luck

I think that, personality-wise, Ginny is a bit of a tomboy. She has grown up with 6 brothers, so until she started Hogwarts, she only really knew boys. Some of this shows through with her fierceness and strength.

Because she grew up with six older brothers, she was definitely heavy influenced by them. I wouldn't say any of the Weasley's are violent or angry, but they are boys. And boys play a little more rough than girls do.

Mrs. Weasley also has a short temper, which we clearly see throughout the series. So, Ginny may have inherited this flaw from her. I don't really see it as much as a flaw, though. I think it's just more part of her personality.

[the_legilimens]

Originally Posted by Padfoot_Prongs

Mrs. Weasley also has a short temper, which we clearly see throughout the series. So, Ginny may have inherited this flaw from her. I don't really see it as much as a flaw, though. I think it's just more part of her personality.

It wasn't just the temper. I was trying to say that I felt it was the harshness that she treated people with when she lost her temper. I know these two are interlinked but if she had been written to show remorse, or even hint at it afterwards I could accept her temper as just being a bit hot-headed. However, as she doesn't seem to care, or understand, how much what she says or does hurts people, I see this temper as a flaw.

[stumps101]

I do think Ginny's main flaws come from her temper ... but honestly, she's not the only sibling that was mean to Ron and Ron's been just as mean to her.

And can anyone show me any parts where any character shows remorse ? Yes Ginny didn't show remorse over the Smith thing ... that we saw off. But hey did Harry show remorse over some of the stuff he did in HBP ? Did Hermione show remorse for confounding Cormac ? Does Ron show remorse over the Hermione/Lavender situation ? Do Fred and George ever show remorse for anything ?

[the_legilimens]

Originally Posted by stumps101

I do think Ginny's main flaws come from her temper ... but honestly, she's not the only sibling that was mean to Ron and Ron's been just as mean to her.

And can anyone show me any parts where any character shows remorse ? Yes Ginny didn't show remorse over the Smith thing ... that we saw off. But hey did Harry show remorse over some of the stuff he did in HBP ? Did Hermione show remorse for confounding Cormac ? Does Ron show remorse over the Hermione/Lavender situation ? Do Fred and George ever show remorse for anything ?

I wasn't attacking Ginny (infact she is one of my favourite characters), I was just pointing out that she tends to go a bit over-the-top when defending herself and her friends.

I don't think she is a cruel person at all. She has done many things such as being kind to the friendless girl at the end of the battle or befriending Luna or Neville that show that for the most part she is a caring person. However, IMO, she doesn't seem to be able when to stop or understand just how much some things which she does can hurt. I feel it is more of a lack of maturity than anything, but I still feel that this is a major flaw of hers.

[Padfoot_Prongs]

Originally Posted by the_legilimens

I wasn't attacking Ginny (infact she is one of my favourite characters), I was just pointing out that she tends to go a bit over-the-top when defending herself and her friends.

I don't think she is a cruel person at all. She has done many things such as being kind to the friendless girl at the end of the battle or befriending Luna or Neville that show that for the most part she is a caring person. However, IMO, she doesn't seem to be able when to stop or understand just how much some things which she does can hurt. I feel it is more of a lack of maturity than anything, but I still feel that this is a major flaw of hers.

I understand what you are saying. She does have a temper, and it is definitely a flaw. I just don't think that the fact that she shows little remorse is relevant. Like stumps101 said, is there really any character (around the trio's age) in the series that shows remorse for the actions?

[Chris]

Ginny's temper is both a blessing and a curse to her - it did help them out of the tight spot in OoTP, and it got her into the Slug Club.

Any remorse over their actions takes place off the pages of DH - I have to imagine that if the trio and Ginny looked back during the epilogue and reflected on the war, they'd regret a few things they said and / or did. Almost everyone regrets something from their past, and for many of us, it's something we did as a teenager.

[powerof7]

Originally Posted by Yoana

Well yes, but I've always had hard time finding any flaws in Ginny. She's perfect. The only thing that can be viewed as a weakness is her temper, and it's really meant to be a part of her charm, so there's not even that. That's what I find annoying and unconvincing about Ginny. She's just weak as a character, in my opinion, practically ready-made, you know what I mean?

I so disagree with this. Ginny is definately a secondary character and remains so throughout the books (for reasons that seem obvious now) but we do see her go through a journey in her development and we do see character flaws as well as real strengths.

First her journys

We see Ginny go from a little girl crying about her brothers going off to school to a confident young woman noted for not being a weepy.

We see Ginny go from a girl too flustered to even speak around Harry to a young woman confident enough to let him know that she could tell him what it feels like to be possessed or that she could find a way to help him talk to Sirius.

We see Ginny go from a young victim of Voldemort's ability to control others to a brave young woman who fights in three battles against Death Eaters.

Her flaws

I have never understood this argument that Ginny has no flaws. Like all of JKR's characters, Ginny has her strengths and weaknesses. Clearly, on the positive side, she is brave, tough, funny, and empathetic. However, she is also hot headed, defiant, and judgmental.

[katishere]

Originally Posted by Yoana

Well yes, but I've always had hard time finding any flaws in Ginny. She's perfect. The only thing that can be viewed as a weakness is her temper, and it's really meant to be a part of her charm, so there's not even that. That's what I find annoying and unconvincing about Ginny. She's just weak as a character, in my opinion, practically ready-made, you know what I mean?

I think that her weaknesses are just much harder to spot than they average character because she is so emotionally strong. I think that anything insided her head that would count as a weakness is just never shown because she refuses to show weakness. Her strength, in some sense, becomes a weakness when she uses it to hide away her unwanted emotions. Harry almost never sees her cry which is something that he loves about her but I think that, while this shows immense strength on her part, it also shows that she keeps her saddness to herself which could eventually hurt her in the long run. I think that with all shes been through (because she's been through almost as much as Harry what with the Tom Riddle thing) she needs to let somebody help her. She's always helping others, comforting others, listening to others but she never lets anyone help her. Never. Dean wasn't even allowed to help her through the portrait hole or hold a door open for her. This is partly a good trait, it shows her independence which puts her greatly apart from Cho, but she's going to have to open up to somebody if she's going to deal with everything that's happened. Think about it, after CoS she had been possessed by Voldemort for almost a year, had to go around murdering roosters, talking to giant snakes, trying to murder her friends, and ending up with missing days and hours of memory with blood stains on her robes and having no idea where she was. All of that as a little first year. Harry fought Voldemort as a first year but it was all over in about an hour and he had Ron and HErmione at his side for most of the journey there. Ginny had no one, she didn't tell anyone, she didn't have anyone to share her fears with. She just fought a silent battle against the powers of Voldemort for nine months of her eleven year old life. We still haven't heard a peep from her about that horrific experience, but we know it made nearly as much of an impact on her as Harry's terrible experiences have on him from that scene with the dementor in PoA. She basically went into convulsions and looked all white and sweaty even after eating the choclate, so we know that the emotions are there, she just refuses to let anyone see them. She has to let it out or it could make her a mental wreck despite her outwardly strong appearance. I think that we can't call Ginny's character unfleshed out because part of her character is just that: not letting people see her weaknesses. She hates being weak. This is a strength in the sense that it takes immense bravery and emotional strenght to do so, but it's also a weakness in the sense that it can only hurt her later on in life. I don't think it's fair for people to say her character has no depth because she doesm I think that if you were to look hard enough you would see that there's a lot more to her that stays hidden behind her smiling face.

[YellowRose]

Originally Posted by powerof7

However, she is also hot headed, defiant, and judgmental.

I agree with all of this except the last bit...if she was really judgmental she wouldn't have been such a friend to Luna and Neville, two students who got a hard time at Hogwarts for just being who they are. Smith really had it coming to him and even Harry was shouting at some of his team to wack a bludger at him.

[HP4evr1807]

Originally Posted by Lord_Godric

Both instances were just showing that they cared for each other. They would have been together had it not been for the War and Harry having to leave. And to see that Harry still cared about her and she still cared about him was just thrown in their so we didn't forget. You also have to remember this is a book, Jo's purpose wouldn't be to show insecurities, it would for some comic relief and to remind us of their lingering unfinished feelings for each other.

Cared for each other at someone else's expense. I know that Cho and Krum would have done the same thing, but I am sure that if Ginny was asked by Krum to dance, she would have rejected anyway, because she knew that Harry was there, and she had feelings for him, and for the Cho incdident, I think making amends with Cho and rekindling a relationship was the farthest thing from his mind.

Originally Posted by YellowRose

Also, does nobody applaud Ginny to be at ease and OK with Harry having a few strong friendships with other females? Hermione above all (who he pratically lived with for 10 months for the duration of the DH), but also Luna?? Cho was very jealous of Hermione in OoTP though Hermione has done nothing more than be a very close friend to Harry. Cho, on the other hand had been the object of Harry's desire for a very long time, and even if she was going out with Michael Corner, was showing a returned interest to being alone with Harry again. For what ever reason Cho had, can you really be on Ginny's back about being jealous of Harry's ex-girlfriend and long time crush when she is perfectly fine with him having very meaningful relationships with other girls?

Ginny has never ever shown jealousy towards Hermione, only once annoyance at Hermione being a bit mean towards Harry in HBP. Look at all the hoo-har-har that Hermiones's closeness to Harry has caused in the fandom...which has totally flown over Ginny's head.

I noticed this too, and I believe that Ginny knew of Harry's strong bond with Hermione and Luna. Personally, I also believe that Ginny knew of Hermione's feelings toward her brother Ron. And also, Hermione is Ginny's friend as well, so of course it wasn't as threatning, because Hermione and Ginny probably confideded in each other about girl issues, and Hermione may have given advice about Harry to Ginny, and Ginny could have even helped Hermione with advice on Ron.

[loveshopelost]

Originally Posted by the_legilimens

In my opinion, Ginny's biggest flaw is that she can be very cruel sometimes. She reacts very harshly (which is also due to her temper), such as hexing Smith at the start of HBP, just because he wouldn't go away. Even though he was also in the wrong, I do not feel she should have hexed him. As well, she shows no remorse afterwards, just brushing the attack off.

However, I feel she was more cruel to Ron. As his sister she knows what would upset him and in the fight between them (when Ron and Harry interupt her and Dean) she taunts him about his feelings for Hermione and the fact that hasn't kissing anyone. She implies that he in this area he is inferior to Harry and Hermione, knowing that he is very insecure about this. She is also the first to draw her wand.

This all happened with little provacation from Ron. Even though he was the first to start shouting, her reaction was much crueler than his, IMO. He had a valid point- that a corridor was not the place for kissing and he didn't want to see it, and she not only built his argument up (saying he was interferring in her love life) but attacking him (verbally) much more harshly than he was her.

This I think is a real flaw in Ginny. IMO, it is linked with her temper (which I also see as a flaw) but I feel that the lack of remorse after she loses her temper shows this mean streak in her quite clearly.

I believe I have mentioned this before many moons ago when discussing the hexing of Zacharias Smith by Ginny Weasley, but I shall again repeat my take on the matter here for the sake of argument. Zacharias Smith, in a bullying fashion that was shown in Phoenix to be entirely typical of his character, accosted Ginny on the Hogwarts Express in an attempt to find out exactly what happened in the Depart of Mysteries between Harry and his friends and the Dark Lord's Death Eaters that night the previous June. After apparently telling him to get lost more than once, according to Ginny's version of events, and I see no reason why she would lie, he persisted and bothering her and so she lost her temper and hexed him. While talking with Harry during the first meeting of the Slug Club in Professor Slughorn's compartment on the train, Ginny expresses her surprise that, rather than punishing her with a detention for what she done, which, in my opinion, shows consciousness of having committed bad behaviour, she was rewarded with an invitation to lunch and inclusion in an exclusive of club of only the brightest and most well-connected of students. And while I am capable of acknowledging the fact that Ginny really should not have hexed Zacharias for being the snot-nosed little weasle he is (his character should really consider becoming a reporter-he is well on his way to becoming as pushy as Rita Skeeter herself), I do have some trouble feeling sorry for the recipient. It honestly could not have happened to a more deserving person.

In second instance mentioned I believe Ginny is allowing her emotions rather than her good sense regulate her behaviour. I shall try to put it in context as best I can: Not only did she get caught snogging her boyfriend by her older brother and his best friend (a rather embarassing thing in and of itself; I mean, who wants to be caught sharing affection with a love interest by a brother who obviously views you not as the young woman you are, but the little girl you used to be?), but Ron blew the instance entirely out of proportion. Things took a turn for the disastrous when Ron, whose anger was spurning him on as well, said he did not want others to go around saying his sister was a girl of loose morals (he never actually supplies a noun that defines this thought, though I rather think he was going for 'scarlet woman'). Here was where things began to get out of hand, and the reason why is because Ron's words imply he motivation for butting in has more to do with the way others percieve Ginny's behaviour, and its reflection on himself and thier family, than with her well-being. What it comes down to is the fact that Ron, with his thoughtless lack of tact (and please not I am not insulting Ron, whom I like very much as a character, so much as I am pointing out a distinct character flaw), made the entire situation worse by hurting Ginny's feelings when she was already very angry with him, and she responded by attempting to return the favour by wounding his feelings just as he had wounded hers. Therefore I find them both at fault: Ron for instigating/starting the entire brawl and Ginny for allowing his interference in her life to upset her to the point where his carelessly mean words goad her into biting back.

Personally I have always found the double standard when it comes to Ginny astounding. It would seem that, for no other reason than because she is the hero's girlfriend, her every word and action is put under a microscope to be picked apart by overzealous readers, most of whom still feel the sting of their 'ship' being overlooked by J.K. Rowling in favour of Harry and Ginny's romantic relationship. As I have mentioned on the other thread, the poor girl just cannot catch a break. For example, she is either considered of questionable morals for having had the audacity to go out and have a life of her own by becoming popular and having two long term boyfriends before she and Harry got together or censured for having had a crush on Harry since her youth and never really giving up hope that he would notice her for the wonderful young woman she is. No matter what, there are some out there who will never like her regardless of what she does or how much Harry loves her or the extent to which she makes him happy.